Genshiken – 9-11

It has been kind of weird to rewatch Genshiken and discover again just how much I relate to Madarame, haha.

Not so much from the standpoint of being a ginormous anime fan, mind (the guy is way out of my league!), but more from the standpoint of not knowing what the hell to do in certain situations. While ep9 is undeniably hilarious, it is also a bit painful for me to watch, because I could insert myself into that scenario, and very little would be different. Maybe there would be less dating sim imagery as it pertains to Saki. But the moment where Madarame imagines asking an innocuous question to Saki, and then it launches into this vigorous discussion between them about the merits of the Kujibiki Unbalance anime, only for Madarame to slap himself out of the fantasy and chastise himself for being a huge dumbass, definitely hits home. Oh, how many moments of my life have been wasted retreating into the dark corners of daydreams.

Genshiken – 7-8

Just as I could not remember where the hell Kuchiki is introduced in Genshiken, here he is! And he is accompanied by some random asshole I also forgot about.

Poor Madarame is in over his head trying to make these two feel welcome to Genshiken. They go to a restaurant for some good ol’ fashioned eating and drinking, but the conversation is stiff and awkward at best with Madarame taking the lead. I definitely sympathize with him there. I can hold my own in conversation just fine — once it gets going, that is. But starting them up and keeping the flow going is not my strong suit, nor is it Madarame’s. All he can think of are lame questions about why the newbies want to join Genshiken.

Genshiken – 4-6

I love Kanako Ohno.

This is simply because she is one of the — if not the — strongest and most honest characters in all of Genshiken. Yes, she hides her preference for bald, muscled older men (due to some bad experiences showin’ her moe in America), and she is prone to stammering when she does not know what to say, but she is not afraid to stand up for herself and what she loves. When Saki reacts like, “HUBBAWHA?!” to Ohno — a woman! — actually wanting to join Genshiken, Ohno just replies, “But I like cosplay.” That’s all that matters to her. That other people may disapprove of it never crosses Ohno’s mind for even a second. This is who she is! She loves to put herself in the shoes of different characters; nothing makes her happier. And she loves to put that happiness on display for others to enjoy. It’s tough thing to develop the confidence to show yourself like that. Certainly the men of Genshiken are nowhere near being able to do that, except perhaps Tanaka, who is pretty much Ohno’s exclusive designer from here on out, haha.

Genshiken – 1-3

There’s always been something comforting about watching Genshiken for me.

A big part of why it works so well is that, when you peer past the surface of their insanely geeky obsessions, the Genshiken characters are pretty normal people. Sasahara is nervous about getting to know people in college. Madarame, crazy as he is, is at heart a romantic. Tanaka loves the art of costuming and photography. Kugayama loves to draw. Kasukabe doesn’t really get these guys, but after hitting some rough patches, she makes a genuine effort to befriend them. Kousaka is maybe the most unrelatable of the group, just because he’s so out there, but he is generally a kind person. The people who show up down the road — Ohno in ep4 and Ogiue in the OVA — are also perfectly normal, despite some hang-ups of their own. (Well, maybe Kuchiki falls just a bit short of normal …)